One of my all-time favorite scriptures is:
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV)
There are two parts to this scripture. The first is trust the Lord. The second is to always acknowledge where your blessings come from.
A few years ago, I learned that the Hebraic meaning of the word Israel is, “Let God prevail.” When Jacob wrestled with the Lord, his name was changed to Israel, and in that moment, he was taught a great lesson each of us should learn quickly and early in our lives. It makes the journey so much easier.
My older sister told me when a child, I was a terror. If I didn’t want to do something, I would tell my mother, “I will throw a fit.” She would say, “Go ahead and throw your fit, but you are going to do it anyway.” I proceeded to throw my fit, complete with screaming, throwing myself on the floor kicking and screaming. When I was finished, I got up and did what she asked me to do in the first place.
I have found throwing a fit to be a pattern throughout my life. When I was trying to decide to serve a Christian ministry, there were people who discouraged me. They said, “Only women who can’t get married choose ministry.” So, when my church leader reminded me of my former desire to serve, he said, “When are you going on a mission?” I said, “I’m not going.” He didn’t listen to my kicking and screaming. He said, “You will have to get your teeth fixed and have a medical exam.” I reiterated, “I am not going.” The Lord had other plans. My saving grace: I was praying.
I was in the tub one Sunday morning, funny place to get answers. I was scolded by the spirit: “The Lord has done everything for you, and you are not willing to give Him 18 months? He is in charge of everything. If you are to get married, the Lord will make it happen.” I let the Lord prevail, and I went on a mission to Italy.
That ministry was a tremendous turning point in my life. On my mission, I learned a new language, met wonderful people, learned the doctrine of Christ and how to get answers to my prayers. Most of all, I learned to trust my Savior. I think of what I would have missed if I had not allowed the Lord to prevail.
I would like to say my ministry ended my temper tantrums, but no.
Before I was married, I spent many years being single. One summer, I mapped out my classes and enrolled in a university. They were all upper-division education classes, and they would further my career as a teacher. Thankfully, I prayed and asked the Lord to put me in the right classes. I thought I had His answer, but when I got to the door of my first class, I was a little late. I opened the door, and the class was watching an old black-and-white film on education. I got sick inside. I closed the door and wondered, “What do I do now?” I was prompted to take some theater classes. That changed my life. I decided to get my Master of Fine Arts in theater. The Lord opened the doors wide. I was able to write plays that touched many hearts. I received a letter from a girl who acted in my play. She said, “If it hadn’t been for your play, I would have taken my life.”
At that point I thought I would have a wonderful career in theater. I would never marry, and that would be OK. Again, the Lord changed my path. “No, you are not going to spend your days in the theater. You are going to marry a man with six children.” I threw a fit. I wanted to throw myself on the floor and kick and scream, but I didn’t. However, I threw another fit when I figured out that with the older kids, I could be a grandmother in five years.
After the tantrum, I did what the Lord asked me to do.
I married and started to learn temper tantrums are of the devil, and it doesn’t do any good to throw them if you must push through and do what you are asked to in the first place. If you let the Lord prevail in your life, you can see that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
Paul taught that man’s wisdom is foolishness compared to God’s. Man’s thinking is contained in finite boxes. There is only so much and no more. Our math is very precise and accurate, but the Lord’s wisdom tells us there is an abundance. Who would think that when you have a fixed amount of money and places for all of it to go, that when you give 10% to the Lord, your paycheck is stretched to cover your needs? It happens.
There was a time during our married life when I was working full-time with kids at home. We were counseled to be the ones to teach our children, not the babysitter. That was a challenge we hadn’t expected. With both our incomes we were just getting by. How could we make it if I quit working? We prayed and asked the Lord, and the answer was, “Stay home.” When I quit to follow that counsel, we still had just enough to get by. How did that happen? The Lord knows the end from the beginning, and He holds all the blessings.
When we heard the counsel to get out of debt, it was hard, but we did it. Shortly after that, the economy went in shambles, and many lost their homes and their investments. We were safe. God’s wisdom is greater than man’s wisdom. We were so grateful we let the Lord prevail.
I have not always let God prevail. There were times when I didn’t ask, and I got in trouble. We leased a car because it was so beautiful and paid a huge financial consequence. Once you are in, it’s hard to get out.
I remember there were times when I asked and did my own thing. Once when I was traveling to Utah, back in the dinosaur days before GPS, I was crossing the reservation and came to a crossroad and wondered which way I should go. I dutifully prayed, “Heavenly Father, which road do I take?” The spirit whispered the answer. I ended my prayer and second-guessed the answer. I turned the opposite way. I went 30 miles out of my way before I realized I was on the wrong road. Guess what? I had to travel the same 30 miles back to take the right road. That’s the way it is when we don’t let God prevail.
I was in the Phoenix area a few months ago. I was depending on GPS to get me where I wanted to go. I was following the route, and I missed the turn. The GPS screamed, “Rerouting, rerouting.” I said out loud, “Be quiet! I know where I am going.” In that moment I realized sometimes we do that with the Holy Spirit. He is calling softly, “Rerouting, rerouting,” and we say, “I know where I am going.”
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV)
The last part of the scripture, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths,” is probably the most important part. We can say a quick thank-you prayer at the time we receive the blessing to acknowledge Him, but what if we wrote it down and shared it with our neighbors, friends and our posterity? Spreading the goodness of God gives glory to Him. Keep a journal. Record God’s tender mercies in your life. The reason I remember these blessings of allowing God to prevail in my life is because I wrote them down, and I treasure their memory. I am glad that even though I threw a fit, I let God prevail.
